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San Diego is a remarkable town with many diverse sites and attractions available for the tourist with an interest in American History. This city offers something for everyone. Whether your interests lie in discovering more information on the first European expedition of this area or the early beginnings of Aerospace, San Diego is the place to be.
Let’s take a quick tour around town and find out a little more about this city's most fascinating sites.
The Cabrillo National Monument was established in 1913 to commemorate the arrival of explorer Juan Rodgriguez Cabrillo at Sand Diego Bay in 1542. Cabrillo was the first European settler on the West Coast of the United States. The monument encompasses a park, the Point Loma Lighthouse, a museum and visitor center.
The National Park Service has taken great measures to restore the exterior of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse to its original state. In 1984, they rebuilt the tower, installed the correct size and type Fresnel lens, and put historically accurate wooden shingles on the roof. Then in 1995, the Park Service refurbished the interior, papered the walls with Victorian-era wallpaper, and added numerous pieces of furniture from the late 19th century.
Our next stop on our tour would be The Hotel Del Coronado. This glorious Victorian styled hotel is a national historic landmark, which originally opened in 1888, Through the years the hotels guests have included presidents, royalty and movie stars. The Hotel Del Coronado encompasses 26 acres and offers nothing short of spectacular views of the ocean and the California coastline. The hotel has undergone extensive renovations at the cost of 55 million dollars to preserve the architecture and the ambience it has offered its guests through the years.
The hotel offers a multitude of activities to its guests and has added several dining areas to meet the desires and delight of its occupants. Sheerwater is the hotel's oceanfront three-meal restaurant. It has been designed with expansive outdoor dining terraces and giant fireplaces in an upscale resort setting. Sheerwater offers one of the finest oceanfront dining venues on the West Coast.
The Prince of Wales restaurant was designed for the romantic, in a setting of that is unparalleled for its ocean views. This particular dining addition to The Hotel Del Coronado was voted San Diego's most romantic restaurant
The Babcock & Story Bar at the hotel was designed to take advantage of the spectacular seaside setting. The original 46-foot handcrafted mahogany bar was brought by ship from Philadelphia in 1888 and is the centerpiece for the bar.
The Babcock & Story Emporium features unique books, gourmet gifts, and French and Italian ceramic tabletop offerings and linens.
For the tourist with a fascination for the sea, The San Diego Maritime Museum is the place to be. This museum is dedicated to the preservation of marine history in and around the San Diego area. Founded in 1948 it also is home to the "Star of India" reputed to be the world's oldest active ship. In 1927 the Star of India was donated to the museum by a group of San Diego historians.
In 1957, Captain Alan Villiers, a famous skipper and author, came to San Diego on a tour. He discovered the ruins of the Star of India and implored the city to raise funds to restore the ship. By 1976 the ship's restoration was complete and she was sailing off the coast near San Diego.
In 1973, The San Diego Maritime Museum expanded by acquiring the ferryboat, Berkeley and the steam yacht, Medea. The Berkeley carried passengers across San Francisco Bay for more than six decades and is now acting as headquarters for the museum, housing workshops, offices, the maritime library and the gift shop.
The Firehouse Museum, dedicated to all Firefighters, is located in the oldest firehouse in San Diego. This museum contains antique fire-fighting equipment, fire engines and other memorabilia on display from across the country and around the world.
The San Diego Museum of Man is an anthropological museum containing interesting artifacts and folk art.
The Museum's permanent exhibits explore the Mayans, the ancient Egyptians, and the Kumeyaay Indians of San Diego. These exhibits offer education in American history, local history and Indian studies.
Examples in the 1990s include exhibitions of works by contemporary Abenaki, Hawaiian, Maori, and Aboriginal artists, and a series of three exhibitions sponsored by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund to showcase the Museum's stellar collections of Native American beadwork, textiles and basketry. Other interesting exhibits offer a variety of discoveries pertaining to hunters creating the first spears and arrows, potters molding fragile ceramic vessels, weavers patterning vibrantly colored textiles and artisans blending forms and symbols.
The San Diego Natural History Museum is “dedicated to interpreting the natural world through research, education, and exhibits; to promoting understanding of the evolution and diversity of Southern California and the peninsula of Baja California; and to inspiring in all people respect for the environment.”
This museum explores the diversity of the Southern California and Baja regions in regards to the environment and nature. Tourists learn about the evolution of the natural world through research, exhibits and education. The San Diego Natural History Museum is located in Balboa Park, near the intersection of Park Boulevard and Village Place, just south of the Zoo. Exhibits include
The San Diego Aerospace Museum brings to life the history of aviation. The museum contains a magnificent collection of over 65 U.S. and foreign aircraft’s and spacecraft’s. This museum's mission is “to provide a scientific, educational and cultural venue dedicated to the preservation of the history of aviation and space flight.”
The museums earliest exhibit commemorates the first flight at Kitty Hawk. Another exhibit recreates aerial combat during World War I, with significance on fighter planes like the Spad, the Nieuport and the Albatros. The Golden Age of Flight and the first mail plane or immortalized in yet another museum exhibit. World War II is represented by Spitfires, Me 109s, Zeros and Hellcats which fought over the skies of Europe and the Pacific Ocean. The Jet Age is host to exhibits containing facts about the A-4 Skyhawk, the F-4 Phantom II and the record-setting spy plane, the Blackbird.
Tourist are amazed as they learn about the extraordinary accomplishments of the world's leading aviation hero’s in the museum's International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Here you can explore the adventures of Wilber Wright, Amelia Earhart, Wally Schirra and General Chuck Yeager.
Visiting San Diego is more than just a vacation. It’s an enjoyable learning experience you will never forget!
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